Hunter Warfield review: rudeness and attitude; bad customer service 93

I am actually pursuing legal litigation against this company almost for the same thing.

I had an apartment complex charge me insane fees to clean the apartment when I moved out (they charged me for things that were wrong when I moved in!)

I immediately paid in full, the balance directly to the apartment complex and have receipts, canceled checks and even a signed notarized letter from them stating that.

Hunter Warfield continues to call! I went so far as having the apartment complex (which is now over 200 miles from me) call Hunter Warfield in my presence, to have them remove the account. They told the apartment complex that pays them to collect debts, that it wasnt their problem!

My credit score has plunged because of these fruitcakes.

They are rude, threatening and practicing illegally. They continue to call after numerous certified letters to cease telephone communications, they threaten legal action without cause, they even released MY MOTHERS credit score and credit line to me, after reading off her SS# to me. My mother and I live independently of each other (as adults do).. how on earth did they get that info!?

I'm glad for your credit score that you paid them off, but these people are AWFUL !

If they do this crap to you, lodge a complaint with the Attorney General of Florida and if need be the FTC. Do NOT let these people harass you!

HUNTER WARFIELD IS A SCAM THEY ARE RIP OFF ARTISTS. MIKE MILLER THEIR COLLECTION AGENCY MANAGER IS A TOTAL BOLD FACE LIAR! HUNTER WARFIELD IS THE WORST COLLECTION AGENCY IN THE WORLD. THEIR AGENTS HANG UP THE PHONE ON YOU, THEY LIE AND PUT WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH. They refused to take my attorney information and contact them, they refused to let me speak to a manager.

THEY ARE ALL OVER THE Better Business Bureaur as AWFUL. If I own a management company using them for collection agency for hotel, or apartment rental collections I would NEVER USE THEM.

MIKE MILLER IS A LIAR, HE IS A HORRIBLE EMPLOYEE. If you see this person's resume on your desk. DON'T HIRE HIM. He works for Hunter Warfield and is a Collections Manager. He was so unethical enough to tell me on the phone when I asked for his supervisor that he would transfer me, lied SEVERAL times about the CALL being RECORDED, and then said I was really going to transfer you to a subordinate and pretend it was my manager.

I asked MIKE MILLER TAMPA, FL if the call was recorded and lied, then said he was lying. HUNTER WARFIELD is a SCAM, and TRIES TO BUFFALO YOU INTO PAYING DEBTS WITH NO PROOF. NEVER EVER TRUST HUNTER WARFIELD!

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I also owed a small debt to my apartment complex. I paid the debt but for some reason my name was put on a list to Hunter Warfield for collection. They called me to let me know I had a debt I called the apartment complex to confirm. And was told I owed nothing. So I called Hunter Warfield and then the fun began. I was put on hold then transferred with no warning three times after repeating the situation three times. Then when I finally got a person to talk to me a Rick Olson I was screamed at told that he is not customer service so I guess he did not have to be profession or polite to me since he is a collection agent. This company is unbelievable and the fact that they are are allowed to stay in business is depressing. When a lot of good companies have went under. If I found out that this is on my credit report I am so suing them. Because my apartment complex called and emailed them and let them know that I did not owed a debt.

Everyone should sue just as I am doing. You can find an attorney in the web by incertaining --collection attorneys. good luck

I too dealt with Hunter Warfield, and I experienced similar problems. I was hung up on, threatened, put on hold, and the list goes on and on. My Apt complex charged me for shutting my electricity of 6 days before moving out. They didn't take it out of my deposit; instead, they turned the debt over to HW. HW said I owed $98.00. This was 2 1/2 months after I had moved out of my apartment complex. When I asked what I owed the $98.00 for, the collector Steve Gotki or Gotti (I bet it was Gotti) told me he couldn't tell me.
Eventually, after reading my lease, I saw that I only owed $10.00 plus the electric bill, which was $27.00. I had the lease papers, the electric bill, everything. When I called HW to dispute the amount, Mr. Steve G. told me that my disputing this "can and WILL go on my credit report as a bad credit!" When I asked how he could do that when I had evidence that supported my dispute, he hung up on me. When I called back, I got a different collector and I told her that Mr. Steve G. had hung up on me. she told me they were having bad whether where they were. I checked on-line afterward to find that it was bright and sunny where they were. She too hung up on me when I asked again how HW could tell me that they "WOULD" put my dispute down as a bad credit.
Eventually, my apt disputed the $98.00 and I was able to pay the $37.00. However, it took a whole month to straighten the situation out, and it was a horrible month at that

I too have had the same issues with Hunter Warfield. They are trying to obtain debt collection that is legitamate on my part..I just simply dont have the 2k dollars that they want, nor do I have the 1K now and 1K next month..I have offered them 50 dollars and month and they laugh at me and hang up on me everytime. I try to negotiate things and work things out and continually they hang up on me. They threaten legal action, paycheck garnishment etc...but yet the wont take the time to speak with me to negotiate the debt...My best advice is to settle with the company you owe directly and avoid HW...Get everything in writing and keep the recepits of everything..Get a letter stating that you have setteled with the company and owe nothing...I hope enought negative publicity and complaints then this company will be avoided..

I am interested in beginning a class action against this company, as well as a public campaign against such industries. I understand that they have watchdog agencies which need to correct the problem, specifically FDCPA violations. If anyone knows of anyone, or has experienced a clear FDCPA violation (harassment is the MOST difficult to prove, remember) by this company please contact me. They are attempting to collect on me with violations of debt validation, among other things (Section 809 A & B). I would also LOVE to get signatures against this company for online petitions or written petitions to their professional organizations which license them (and their CEO's). I have dealt with agencies before, this was the worst. It's an apartment debt, FYI, unverified, etc...like the last guy!

Contact me anytime alissa.jordan@gmail.com, almjorda@uchicago.edu

SAVE EVERYTHING!

Alissa

This gets me, they actually called me today, SPOOFING THEIR NUMBER WITH A NUMBER OF A HOSPITAL in Virginia. Shows that crooks will go through any means, including spoofing a legitimant company, in this case a hospitals number. Wait until I call the ADMIN at this hospital about this.

i agree but you should not lisen to what HW tells you why because there are pure talk and no action i had a similar situacion and they did not what to negotiate the balance i said all pay the balance i owed to the complex not the intrest they hang up on me when i call back i said i was a atty which i am and i never hear a bill collector so afread they tranfer me to a suprevisor and he was to afread they will not do anything to u then put it on your credit and they will not take this to court they will not said anything agaist you dont fall in there tricks they have no legitement prufe of the debt and they will not risk there self to get suit if they call you tell them that u are represented by and atty and that you will suit them they will not call you they will not report this to your credit and they will not persu legal accion that is all talk no accion and how to do i now that i very good friend of my works there and let me now all the inside info on the company for them to suit you they have to buy the debt from there client and then start a legal accion they dont do that from more then 2, 500 dollars and 75% of the times they close the accounts if you want to pay this pay the apartment complex never pay a debt collection agency to solve a debt they charge you more then what you owed and they rip you off advice if they call you ignor then

I received a call today - in Ohio - looking for my son - in Florida - who owes back rent an apartment complex. He was injured and out of work for several months, bills piled up and was evicted. So the claim is legitimate. The "gentleman" from HW, Reed Silverman, was willing to give me his name, , phone number and company name. When I asked what type of company he worked for, he responded by telling me he "was not legally permitted to divulge that in third party situations" - which is not only a lie but it told me exactly what he was - a collection firm. I used that and googled the company and found all of the comments above. Thank you everyone - all of the information was very helpful.

I too am now in the same situation as all above! I am always busy at work so fortunately i have missed all the calls> Does anyone know that if i were to go straight to the apartment complex and try to deal with them instead of HW; would they just tell me it's not there problem anymore or what?

Look, I know alot of people here including myself might not be "fond" of collection agencies but there are some out there who you can't take lightly. Hunter Warfield deals with apartment and funeral home debt as well as commercial businesses. They are legally hired by the very same companies you did business with (I.E.: Apartment complexes you lived in, funeral home etc) and they DON'T buy the debt for pennies on the dollar like all of you might think.

They are hired to do what their clients tell them to do and that means resolving the debt their clients way NOT yours (ie.: mailing in $25 a month). This is why majority of the time the apartment complex will send you back to Hunter Warfield to resolve the matter.

Word of advice: DON'T START OUT WITH AN ATTITUDE. MOST OF YOU DO BECAUSE YOU HATE BEING CALLED ABOUT A BILL YOU KNOW YOU LEGALLY OWE.

Alot of you complain about this company and make accusations of rudeness and other claims but the truth is 9 times out of 10 it's the consumer (debtor) who is the cause of the problems like rudeness, yelling, screaming or cursing. EVERYTHING is recorded and monitored there which the reps tell you upfront. It's called the "Mini Miranda". I guarantee you if I had the chance to listen to some of your calls it would reveal the truth that YOU are the cause for the problems of resolving the debt most of the time. Any rep who curses at you would be fired on the spot. When you leave an apartment many times people don't get receipts or the correct documents to make sure they don't owe anything upon vacating the apt. I didn't which made me mad at MYSELF not them.

This type of debt is NOT like a credit card where it gets sold off to different agencies. The burden of proof falls on the person that owes it and if not it is your legal responsiblity to prove it's not owed. Always check the contract or lease that YOU signed. The debt stays at Hunter Warfield until it gets paid either voluntarily by you or involuntarily (i.e.: lawsuit, judgement, garnishment etc). You won't be able to rent another place or buy anything with credit unless this property debt is resolved. Remember there are two sides to every story and all we are hearing is one side until now.

I have been inside the offices of HW to pay a bill and it's a classy place. You would never think it's a collection agency and believe me I have seen some hole in the wall collection places. I use to work for a couple of them. HW looks more like a law office.

My suggestion is to do your research, work out the issue with the company and move on. STOP whining because like I stated before most of the time it's the debtor (YOU) who makes the problem.

FOR THE RECORD: YOU ARE NOT A CUSTOMER. YOU OWE A DEBT.

Customer service is for companies like AT&T, Banks etc who offer products or services they want to sell you in which you are currently doing business with. This is a collection agency who collects a debt that has to be paid by YOU.

TO above comment. There are laws protecting consumers actually. It doesnt matter if you are a quote unquote customer, there are rules of engagement that debt agencies are required by law to follow.

http://www.expertlaw.com/library/consumer/fair_debt_collection.html

What Restrictions Are Imposed On Collection Agencies By The FDCPA?

The FDCPA restricts debt collectors from engaging in conduct including the following:

*

Contacting a third party who does not owe the debt, such as a relative, neighbor, or your employer. Co-signers to the debt, however, may be contacted by the debt collector;
*

Threatening to refer your account to an attorney, harm your credit rating, repossession or garnishment, without actual intention of action on the threat. Please note that a debt collector may warn you of an actual impending intention to refer your case to an attorney or to report your debt to a credit agency. What they cannot do is use a false threat to try to intimidate you into paying;
*

Making repeated telephone calls or telephone calls at unreasonable times. The act defines unreasonable times as contat before 8:00 AM or after 9:00 PM, unless you have given the debt collector permission to contact you during those hours;
*

Placing telephone calls to an inconvenient place. For example, contacting you at work in violation of a policy by your employer that is known to the debt collector or following a request by you that they not contact you at work;
*

When placing a telephone call to you at work, informing your employer of the purpose of the call, unless first asked by the employer;
*

Using obscenity, racial slurs or insults;
*

Sending letters which appear to have come from a court;
*

Seeking collection fees or interest charges not permitted by your contract or by state law;
*

Requesting post-dated checks with the intention to prosecute if they bounce;
*

Suing in courts far removed from your place of residence;
*

Making certain false representations in association with efforts to collect the debt, including the false claim that the person contacting you in relation to the debt is an attorney, falsely claiming to have started a lawsuit, using a false name, or using stationery that is designed to look like an official court or government communication;
*

Using false claims to collect information about the debtor, such as pretending to be conducting a survey;
*

Threatening you with arrest if you do not pay the debt.

BT dub, Hunter Warfield is based out of Tampa FL so here are some likely phone numbers avail through the white pages:

R Silverman

1717 N Bayshore Dr
Miami, FL [protected]

[protected]

R Silverman

8225 SW 179th Ter
Palmetto Bay, FL [protected]

[protected]
Household: Frantz H Nicoleau, Veronica A Nicoleau, V Silverman

R Silverman

348 NW 107th Ave
Pembroke Pines, FL [protected]

[protected]
Household: Ronnie M Silverman

Print mailing label

This place is unbeliveable..at the time of signing our apartment lease, i was 17 years old. My sons father was 19. Therefore he was leaglly old enough to sign some sort of contract. Now here i am 19 years old trying to get my own apartment now and i am being told that i have a balance of 1046.72 with Hunters Warfield because of this apartment. First of all, in the state of Maryland i leagally can not be held responsible for a lease that was signed when i was only 17. i just paid the balance in full this afternoon that way i can get my new apartment, lets see if they take it off my credit now! This place is the worst credit place ive ever seen. Usually the debt collectors are very straight forward but at least they try to negotiate with you. This place wants your money and they want it NOW!

I'm a Mom in Springfield, VA who helped her son get out
of his lease early, along w/his 2 roomates last summer.
He was living at Camden Apts. in Fairfax. HW started
contacting us over a month ago w/charges that we'd never
known we owed. No correspondance from Apt. complex,
nothing. My son was very cooperative with HW, knowing
that it was probably one of 3 who still owed, since he's still
in contact w/the other roomie. Last night was the straw that
broke the proverbial camel's back-I told them according to the
Fair Debt Collection Act, they were to send us paperwork/
validation notice w/specifics 5 days after the initial contact
that was mid-january, if not before. Gentlemen said that I needed
to request that, it wasn't automatic. Looked online again last
night at FTC web's FAQ's for Consumers and it states verbatim:
Every collector must send you a written "validation notice" telling
you how much money you owe w/in 5 days after they first contact
you. This notice also must include the name of the creditor to whom
you owe the money, and how to proceed if you don't think you owe
the money.
Anyway, I disagreed and told him the FDCA required the paperwork be
sent to me w/in 5 days - and magic! Mike Miller, manager, has a letter on
the way. I still felt my rights were violated and lodged a complaint w/the
Federal Trade Commission. They explained the letter I needed to send to HW
to get them to stop calling us. In process of doing that now. I will C.C. this
complaint to FL Atty. General as well as to Atty. General in VA. My son told
them last night that he understands all 3 boys are/were liable on the lease,
that his credit is temporarily *#*#'ed up (was told this 'blotch' on his credit report
is noted 'in dispute'), but that he does not owe or is going to pay one more dime
to Camden Apts. HW plays mind-games w/you, plays the 'good cop/bad cop' scenario
uses intimidation techniques that are just shy of illegal, and takes advantage of peoples'
lack of knowledge of protocol and the law, which most 22 yr-old boys are not savvy
with. I hated to butt in, but I'm upset, since I paid the money last summer to the
apt. complex. I can't afford and feel I'm not liable to shell out any more $$ to anyone.
UPDATE: A week later and STILL no validation notice!

They just hung up on me when I told them I had never heard of the person who they had called my house repeatedly looking for!
They are Very rude and they were not even looking for me! I don't know how they got my number!

Hello everyone..I have just read all the posts regarding this company Hunter Warfield. I agree with collectors being rude sometimes but we have to keep in mind that we are also on the defensive side when we hear someone calling us for money we owe and that we probably had forgotten about it right?

What really drew my attention is what Evan Mendez posted. Now with all due respect Evan if you are an Attorney you sure have spelling problems. I agree with the post that states this is only one side of the story and I see this more as a support group for unpaid bills and people trying to find comfort in other peoples debts just to feel they are not the only ones who owe money in this world. If we would do everything the way it is stated in our leases, contract etc... then we wouldn't be here talking or reading this tonight would we? I know for a fact that something that debtors do best is "LIE" finding excuse after excuse to work their way around a unpaid balance or bill in order not to pay it. Bottom line people if you didn't follow your agreement then you owe the money and if you have documentation that proofs other wise then send it to the collector rep that is making you aware of the valid debt that you have.

You have every right for the Verification of Debt and they are only obligated to send it to you by mail unless you requested in writing then you can have it faxed, emailed or whatever. Now they are also not the US Postal Service in order to make sure you receive it at your door step or PO. Box . By Law they are only obligated to mail it weather you receive it or not is not in their hands.

SO JUST FIND THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY TO WORK WITH YOUR DEBTS because by experience I tell you one day they will catch up to you and you'll end up paying them one way or another and by then it might even affect you to get a house or anything you might need. Now I've learned this because at some point I was right where all of you are complaining and trying to justify an invalid excuse IT DOES NOT WORK.

and one more thing stop DEFAMING stating that this company or any company are crooks unless you can prove it with documents or valid proof. its called false statements and with that YOU ARE THE ONES breaking the LAW. So be happy and Stay out of Debt and yes like another person said. YOU ARE NOT their customers you are a DEBTOR they don't pay collectors to be nice they pay them to collect money from people that never paid the when they had the opportunity to do so. good night all I have learned from my debts in the past and I hope this is of use to you.

Ill make this real easy for everyone, know the laws. If you have a collection agency harassing you tell them that they are to cease and desist all attempts to collect the debt and if they continue to call you that you they will be in violation of the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) and you will report them. Any agency doing collections legally knows about the FDCPA and they want nothing to do with the fines that come with the violations. If they call you again or keep calling you simply pick up the phone and don't give them a chance to speak, tell them that they are now in violation of the FDCPA and you are reporting them and hang up, then REPORT them immediately! (the FTC has the authority to administratively enforce the FDCPA using its powers under the Federal Trade Commission Act.) Find out who the collection agency if collecting the debt for, (the original creditor), contact them and work out a way to pay it. Eventually everything will catch up with you and depending on state laws if the debt is high enough they can put a lien on your property. Depending on the debt collection agencies can also lien your bank account. You wont even know its coming, you'll go to get money out or use your debit card and it will be declined. Then the checks start to bounce, see how this can all snow ball? My suggestion is dont ever let something go to collection. Debt collectors almost always receive commission in some form. They are not thinking about you, the are thinking "whats the most I can get out of this dead beat?" Even to the mangers, your just another low life on the other end of the phone taking up their time. Oh, and dont ever, ever give a collection agency any info. They tell you they need references? Yep as soon as they cant get you on the phone they will call those references and tell them so crazy story about how they need to talk to you know and they cant get in touch. They need to know were you bank, you think it might be ok because they are not asking for the account number? Wrong they want they want the info to put a bank lien through. Short of the long, these people want to suck you dry so they can get big bonus and the mangers dont care about complaints, they bonus off the collectors. Work it out with the creditor before it gets to collections.

To: Jennea,

Thank GOD you are NOT a lawyer because if you were mine I would lose a ton of money taking your advice.

You are correct on telling people to know the laws but you are incorrect in what you know. Let's do some corrections shall we?

Myth:

"If you have a collection agency harassing you tell them that they are to cease and desist all attempts to collect the debt and if they continue to call you that you they will be in violation of the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) and you will report them".

Reality:

Harrassment is calling without a purpose and if you owe a bill than that is a valid REASON for collection agencies to call. As for "cease and desist all attempts to collect a debt" that HAS to be put in WRITING.

I know this from experience and even though some States like Massachusetts which have laws that a collection agency can only call you twice a week, you STILL have to put it in writing if you don't want any calls to your home.

The ONLY place they can't call if it is requested by you verbally would be at your place of employment or if you retained an attorney (which most often than not they will tell you in the end to settle the debt anyway), otherwise collection efforts can LEGALLY continue.

Myth:

"Find out who the collection agency if collecting the debt for, (the original creditor), contact them and work out a way to pay it. Eventually everything will catch up with you and depending on state laws if the debt is high enough they can put a lien on your property".

Reality:

This is YOUR advice to people? Ignore the collection agency and risk being sued? My goodnesss! You'd make a terrible lawyer or financial advisor. NO offense intended here!

If it is a property debt the original creditor most of the time will send you back to deal with the collection agency they hired. On a credit card debt many times it is sold which means you STILL have to deal with the CA.

Oh and just because YOU feel the agency has no authority over your debt doesn't STOP them from reporting it on your credit as a bad debt. Once that is accomplished now if it is necessary then possible legal action can be taken against the person (IE: They own property, working in a garnish able State etc) depending on the collection agency handling your debt.

FACT:

"They are not thinking about you, the are thinking "whats the most I can get out of this dead beat?" Even to the mangers, your just another low life on the other end of the phone taking up their time".

The above statement is true and why should they think about you? The CA doesn't represent you and you're certainly NOT a customer of theirs. If a collector becomes "customer service" with the debtor guess what happens next? The bill NEVER gets resolved because the debtor wants to take care of it when they "feel" like it and/or send in whatever they want to. Ever heard of the old saying "Checks in the mail"? Yeah they have to which is why you are treated as a customer.

The CA's are hired by THEIR client to collect a debt and are looking out for their best interest. Wouldn't you if you were a collector? Don't be a hypocrite.

Next quote:

"Oh, and dont ever, ever give a collection agency any info. They tell you they need references? Yep as soon as they cant get you on the phone they will call those references and tell them so crazy story about how they need to talk to you know and they cant get in touch. They need to know were you bank, you think it might be ok because they are not asking for the account number? Wrong they want they want the info to put a bank lien through".

FACT:

Most CA's have your info already lady and YOU would be surprise what they have on file because it is given to them by the very same company you applied to in order to get goods and services from them. As long as your social is a valid one that number could be run through all sorts of software to find you or ANY other extra info they may need.

In fact there are people around the country such as attorney's who will even charge a small "fee" to get what the agency needs if the bill has to be resolved through let say possible "litigation". So don't worry because YOUR very own credit report contains information about you that could be used to proceed in collecting the bill. Oh and YES it IS legal to pull your report.

MYTH:

"Short of the long, these people want to suck you dry so they can get big bonus and the mangers dont care about complaints, they bonus off the collectors. Work it out with the creditor before it gets to collections".

They don't suck you dry. YOU OWE A BILL THAT HAS TO BE PAID TO THEIR CLIENT WHICH IS WHY MOST DEBTORS COMPLAIN TO THE FTC.

Don't you get a yearly bonus at the end of the year for doing a good job? I am sure you don't protest about getting the money. Why would you deprive another American of getting theirs as well?

I do agree agree about working it out with the creditor before it gets to collections but unfortunately MOST people don't and that is why it ends up in there. CA's are a necessary evil because otherwise companies wouldn't be able to recoop their money and we would end up having to pay more due to people like YOU who shrug their shoulders at the system.

Hopes this helps clear the air a little.

I have just recently dealt with this company regarding a debt owed to a former apartment complex. The amount was $62.00 and to date I have not been able to discern what it is for, nor has any employ of my former apartment been able to explain it to me. The funny thing is, if the apartment would have just contacted me about this debt, I would have paid immediately, but they simply turned it over to collections. The collections agent told me that this would not cause a hit against my credit rating which is, for now, near flawless, however, I still have my doubts and am worried that something may come up down the road. I'm am taking a different approach and going after the apartment complex directly because 1. They cannot explain to me the origin of the debt, and 2. They turned my account over to collections without first making an attempt to contact me for payment. The apartment company in question is Mid-America Apartment Communities.

I work for a company who uses HW. I have personally called them to complain about how they talk to people we have been required to send to HW. They try to say that they have never talked to people the way they are accused. Now, I do know that they are VERY rude. I have even went as far as to tell them not to speak to these people in any way that they would not speak to their own mother. This company needs an attitude adjustment!

I will say that for me, I only send to HW the people who will not answer their phone or the letters that I send. I hate sending anyone to a collection agency, but when someone hasn't made a payment on their bill for over a year, I will send them. Keep in mind, that I work in the funeral industry. It is not like we can take back what they are to be paying for! These people are usually in a bad state of mind and I only send to HW as a LAST resort!

Dear funless_home,

Just out of curiosity have your ever heard the recordings of an HW collector treating the debtor rudely? What evidence do you have?

Remember there is always two sides to every story and you're only hearing one side of it. Debtors lie and that IS a FACT. Now I am not saying that bill collectors are saints because unfortunately there are too many out there that give the good ones a bad name but we MUST deal with FACTS in these matters and not hear say.

The fact is most often than not a debtor starts off with an attitude because they are being called about a bill they know they legally owe. They assume they are still a "customer" and try to dictate how and when the bill will be paid such as sending in $10 a month on a $4k bill even though they might own a home and have plenty of credit to pay with.

Debtors are stubborn, liars, story tellers and one thing they ALWAYS do is play "the client against the collection agency game". Simply put when the collector calls them to pay the bill they start complaining about the client sending them to collections, cursing them out and accusing the client of trumped up charges.

Then after hanging up on the collector they go straight to the client to do the same thing and make the same "wild" accusations. Of course they forget that little known thing on the phone call which the collectors always remind them of and that is the "call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes".

Thankfully cooler heads and most importantly COMMON sense prevails in end because the truth always comes out. When this happens the debtor realizes they've been caught in a lie and call in to resolve the matter somehow.

So please remember people can say anything to make themselves look good or act like a victim because they are looking for an easy way out of the debt especially if they owe large sums of money.

It isn't until the facts are laid out is when the REAL truth is revealed.

I will chime in here specifically to carter_lansford: if I were you I'd pay the debt NOW. I had exactly the same situation happen a few months ago. Received a letter from Hunter Warfield stating that I owed a debt to Mid-America Apartment Communities. I had moved out in Nov 2009, and never received ANYTHING from the apt complex stating that I owed money. So I followed the instructions on the back of the collections letter and mailed a letter stating that I did not know what the debt owed was for, and requesting more information. I called Hunter Warfield about two weeks after I mailed the letter to make sure they received it and to find out what my next step was -- because I did NOT want this to adversely affect my credit -- but I wasn't going to pay $400 when I didn't even know what it was for! I was specifically told on the phone that they had received my letter and it was being looked into, and someone would get back with me. I clearly stated that I did not want this to affect my credit and I wanted to make sure I did not need to do anything further at that point. I was told no, they were looking into it and would contact me. Unfortunately I did not get the name of the individual to whom I spoke (I didn't know I would need it). When I didn't hear back from them I assumed it had been resolved. Now this past week (2 mohths later) I received a phone call and it turns out that they already reported the debt to the credit bureaus, and they deny there ever being a conversation about my letter. They said they did get my letter, and that the apt company told them what the debt was for, but they never contacted me about it! So I have a verbal report from the collection agency stating what the debt is for, but they won't give me anything in writing from the apt company. And it's already on my credit report, so even if I pay it will still show up, and somehow it's all my fault because I was supposed to know that I had to provide proof that I didn't owe the debt, when in fact they never clearly told me what the debt was for. I think Mid America and Hunter Warfield are both shady...so be careful with both of them. I'm going to have to pay just to try to not have it hurt my credit too badly, but the whole thing stinks because I thought I was following the rules but evidently they can do whatever they want.

Well I cosigned for my sister. She did exactly as she should have when she didnt renew her lease. HW waited 3 months to contact ME not her and threaten me. They claim we owed...wait for it...$1785! The lady was RUDE, hung up, and threaten me. When i was attemtping to settle the fool said "if you're not paying this stop calling."THat was the only time i called . Her name is Lacy Manning! Im sayin git because she is ignorant. They claim that we owed for stupid charges and for stuff that was wrong and reported to the apartment manager to fix.they blamed us.this woman was rude and stupid. i paid them a settlement on $1285.for what i dont know but they claimed it would hurt my credit.personally im only a consigner and never lived there and if we really owed why did they wait 2 months to contact ME not the resident of the apartment.

I just sent them a Drop Dead Latter today. It is from CNN's Clark Howard show and goes like this:

(Date)

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been contacted by your company about a debt you allege I owe. I am instructing you not to contact me further in connection with this debt. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a federal law, you may not contact me further once I have notified you not to do so.

Sincerely,

(Name)

(Account No.)

We'll see if that stops them from calling 2 or 3 times per week.

Hunter Warfield is a ridiculous agency to deal with. First the debt they allege I owe is over 5 years old. They were unable to tell me what the debt was for or provide any type of invoice. I called the original service provider who was also unable to explain to me the details of the alleged debt stating that the records were so old they were in storage and couldn't be accessed.

So as I understand it, if this alleged debt ends up on my credit report I have grounds to take legal action b/c damage will have been done to my credit. Both the CA and the original service provider have the burden of proof and thus far no one has been able to produce any proof.

Lastly, has anyone been successful in suing Hunter Warfield?

To: jjjjkkkkk

You have EVERY right to have the calls stop and I am sure that the CA which is calling you will cease and desist once they recieve the letter but REMEMBER jj it DOESN'T stop them from putting it on YOUR credit or taking further action.

I hope you're not in a garnish able State, own property, are a student, military or worse yet unemployed looking for a job because it WILL affect you one way or another.

From what I know HWI does and can recommend legal action on many their accounts.

When you owe property debt (apartment lease) it is not something that goes away even if it falls of your credit after 7 years. I would STRONGLY urge you to pay your debt because whatever your gripe is against paying will be nothing in a court of law or when you try to get anything in the future and that includes another job.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/YourCreditRating/how-bad-credit-can-cost-you-a-job.aspx

And this is ONLY the beginning of it.

See ya

Hey Avg-Joe:

My only question is, why did you wait over 5 years to take care of your bill?

I am sure you were contacted in one way or another and just ignored the bill. Why do I say that? Because from my experience as a former collector that's what debtors do. Pretend they knew nothing about it but when you look back at the file everyone in their mother attempted to contact the person who owed the bill but got no response.

Oh and by the way the law doesn't force the CA to prove you received ANYTHING only that they sent it. As for burden of proof that is SOLEY on YOU. Don't believe me?

Ok, then go ahead and dispute it with the credit bureaus about your HWI debt. They will in turn contact the collection agency, the CA will then verify the debt is valid and YOU sir in the end will have to provide PROOF that it is not owed.

The credit bureau's will actually send you a letter saying that, plus the fact they will consider your dispute frivolous after so many attempts (usually 3) and will NOT investigate any further under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. YES, they will actually quote you the law and will simply tell you unless you have solid written documentation showing it is not owed then PAY IT!

Oh and in the meantime while you dispute your debt your credit score plummets. How do I know this? Because I did it myself with an apartment lease I owed back 3 years ago and other debts on my credit.

I was curious wanted to see for myself what would happen if I tried it and dam did I receive a valuable lesson.

Americans have to get over this nonsense about disputing things they KNOW they OWE and for once be responsible.

Hey Spoon Girl:

You need to remember that sending in a letter disputing the bill means ABSOLUTELY nothing unless you have written documentation to prove otherwise. It also doesn't stop the CA from reporting to your credit or seaking further action like a lawsuit against you.

Most often than not people use the excuse they never received anything when in fact the apartment complex sends the bill to the last known address you lived at which was the apartment.

If you left a forwarding address then you should have received it. The complex nor the collection agency isn't legally responsible to prove that you received anything just that they mailed it.

Too many of you act like victims but the truth is you are NOT. Bottom line is you didn't follow the procedures of your lease when you left. For example: not doing a walk through with a manager.

Look I have had two apartment debts in the last 5 years. One went to collections and the other didn't but both times I did recieve my bill because I made sure not only leave a forwarding address to send the bill to but inform my local post office as well as keep in touch with the complex itself.

Unfortunately MOST of you get up and leave on purpose without making sure everything was taken care of and if it was to make sure you get it in writing (receipt, walk out inspection etc) so you know what is owed if anything.

STOP ACTING LIKE VICTIMS AND BE RESPONSIBLE. EXCUSES MAKE YOU LOOK WEAK.

If you were TRULY concern about your credit you would have paid the bill with the collector or online (it's not that hard to find on the internet, hunterwarfield.com) then if you felt you were in the right, take the complex to small claims court and if a a judge deems your dispute valid (as long as you have solid written documentation of course) they would in turn refund your money back.

A simple verbal dispute or complaint would not get you anywhere especially in a court of law because a judge will simply quote you the very lease that YOU signed.

Hey bamalover:

Let me correct your "thinking" as a victim which you are NOT. You were the cosigner correct? Well it doesn't matter if you lived there or not because the co signer is ONLY responsible when the person you vouched for refuses to pay or defaults.

READ THE CONTRACT YOU SIGNED.

The REAL person you should be mad at is NOT the CA or the complex it's YOUR sister who said nothing for months and I am sure she was contacted about the bill but chose to ignore it.

Most often that not it is the people which cosign that are left holding the bag because of the irresponsible ignorance of the very same people they co signed for.

You claim your sister did "EXACTLY as she should have when she didn't renew her lease".

Are you sure? Were you present?

Because if you were then you would have known to take your name off of the lease and/or remove yourself from any further obligations at the time of move out as the contract CLEARLY states but you didn't, did you? Of course not sir and so the blame game of "I am a victim" begins.

It is easy to give excuses as to why you weren't notified and YOUR responsibility as a cosigner which of course is all there in black and white for you to READ.

As for the alleged threats made by the collector I HIGHLY doubt it because everything is monitored and recorded at any CA. You could have easily talked to a manager to pull the recording and prove your case but AGAIN you didn't do that, did you? Of course not.

Mr. bamalover I suggest if you don’t want anymore headaches in the future then DON’T cosign for anyone especially if you don’t plan on READING the contract and what your responsibilities are when putting your signature on the dotted line.

That ALONE is "ignorance" enough on your part and the ONLY "stupid" thing here is NOT the bill you were charged but the fact that your sister wasn’t RESPONSIBLE in informing you about the situation.

Move on with life sir because you are just upset over blaming everyone but yourself.

After reading all these posts, I am FLOORED! The one that TRULY got my dander up was this one:

This gets me, they actually called me today, SPOOFING THEIR NUMBER WITH A NUMBER OF A HOSPITAL in Virginia. Shows that crooks will go through any means, including spoofing a legitimant company, in this case a hospitals number. Wait until I call the ADMIN at this hospital about this.

Ok you are correct that ONLY criminals, hackers, and crooks "spoof" their numbers to avoid detection. I've had this done to me, but NOT by a business! It was done on a PERSONAL basis and trust me when I say the voice mail left was not well received on my end! Cops were called, report was made, and it happened a couple more times...I looked up info on spoofing online and how they're working on getting more control over the VIoP protocol to try and keep spoofing from happening! Now then with a business doing it, notifying your local authorities is a GOOD place to start and then notify the Hospital they spoofed and how it makes another legit business look to potential clients or patients! RIDICULOUS to do that to another company! Anyways--just floors me to no end! Sue this piece of TRASH company and put them out of business once and for all! Save all documentations, get copies of leases, notarized letters from apts stating you are paid in full, pull your phone records, and register your numbers at www.dnc.gov (do not call list) online! Best of luck to all of you!

***HUNTER WARFIELD*** If you are being harassed by HUNTER WARFIELD contact the Florida Attorney General's office - [protected] and file a complaint. Also contact the Federal Trade Commission - [protected] and file a complaint. As soon as the FTC gets enough complaints they file a class action lawsuit. Everyone needs to complain the soon the better so these people can be put out of business.

Hey Sparks:

You seem to REALLY sound foolish everytime you type. I don't represent HWI. I use to be a bill collector at a couple of agencies and know of the scam debtors run all the time about not being able to pay.

The ONLY reason they contact the BBB, Attorney General or FTC is because debtors refuse to accept responsibility for their own
actions and debts THEY accumulated.

It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant Americans are about contracts and debts.

Your quote "You can't get blood from a rock" or even a turnip is an old stale phrase from yesterday. People are not rocks or turnips and I can tell you debtors will ALWAYS lie about not having any money when a bill collector calls but as soon as the CA calls them back weeks later, all of the sudden we discover they're on vacation or somewhere out shopping spending money.

DEBTORS ARE LIARS AND THAT IS FACT SIR!

The debtors constantly give a sad story about their problems and how they're barely getting by but as soon as you look at their credit report incredibly the collectors see an Amex, Visa or Chase credit cards with an expensive car payment or mortgage to go with it and plenty of available credit to take care of the debt.

Oh and that BBB report you talk about, ANYONE can file a stupid, worthless complaint about not being able to pay. The BBB can't do anything and as far as the FTC or Attorney General is concern YOU better have rock SOLID proof otherwise like most debtors you'll end up looking foolish and wasting tax payers money.

You other foolish quote, "Right now, if they're having a hard time, then that's all that needs to be understood".

Really Sparks? NOT in a court of law. A judge could care less because as long as your name is on the dotted line you are 100% legally responsible for the mess you caused.

I should know because I went through it twice and believe me from experience a court doesn't care what you're going through in your life at the moment. They will place a judgement against you and even order garnishment of wages or a lien on any property if needed.

So continue living under a rock and staying ignorant to the facts. The bottom line here people is simple, READ WHAT YOU SIGN!

Here is proof of what I am talking about. I found this on youtube this week which is perfect timing for this debate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7sRGUNzruI

And here is another story proving my point. Debtors always thumb their nose at people in authority.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/blog/page.aspx?post=1771376

Unpaid debt? You could go to jail
Debtors' prisons may have been outlawed in the 1800s, but residents of some states are being arrested over unpaid bills.

Deborah Poplawski was feeding a parking meter in downtown Minneapolis when city police pulled up, arrested her and took her off to jail. She was forced to change into jail-issue underwear and an orange uniform and sleep in a room with a dozen women, one of whom offered her drugs. She spent 25 hours in jail.

Her crime? She failed to pay $250 in credit card debt.

Debtors' prisons were outlawed in the U.S. in the 1800s, but more debtors are being sent to jail through the efforts of aggressive third-party debt collectors, who are using the courts and the police to collect old debt they bought for pennies on the dollar.

The practice was detailed in a lengthy investigative story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which found that the use of arrest warrants against debtors in Minnesota had risen 60% in the last four years, with 845 cases in 2009.

Judith Fox, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, told the Star Tribune:

According to the Star Tribune:

The laws allowing for the arrest of someone for an unpaid debt are not new.

What is new is the rise of well-funded, aggressive and centralized collection firms, in many cases run by attorneys, that buy up unpaid debt and use the courts to collect.

Technically speaking, the Minnesota debtors are being arrested and taken to jail not because they failed to pay the debt, but because they failed to comply with orders to show up in court or to fill out the forms necessary for their wages to be garnished. Bail is usually set at the amount they owe or $2, 500, whichever is less, the Star Tribune reported

I moved out of an apartment complex earlier this year. I had to break the lease 2 months early in order to accept a job in a different state. The complex (the manager is a nasty piece of work; I would rather deal with the debt collector) sent me a letter letting me know when my remaining lease money was due and that they would send it to HW were it not paid by then. Unfortunately, after a LARGE move and starting a job where I did not get paid for a month after starting, I was not in a position to pay the complex when the money was due. I contacted HW as soon as I got a letter from them, explained the circumstances, and spoke to a nice guy who was willing to work out a bit of a payment schedule for me. He checked for a settelement amount, even, thinking perhaps the amount might go down, but it did not. There was no yelling, screaming or threatening on anyone's part (although there have been collection agencies that have called me doing such...thankfully I am out of those situatutions now) and I am paying off my debt to the apartment complex via HW

No, I don't work for them. I think I'd rather shoot myself in the foot than work for a collection agency. But I was fortunate enough that, when I called them back, I got a nice person on the phone who was ready to work with me. Sorry there are so many horror stories...I've been through it, but not with HW. It is much easier dealing with them than the manager of the ghetto apartment complex I moved out of.

Yes Mountain Lady everything worked out for you because you didn't call them with an attitude or wasted their time disputing a valid debt.

You also didn't complain about the payment arrangements that were offered and basically did your part. I applaud you for that and I promise you in the future you will be happy you handle it this way.

The bottom line here is that you took RESPONSIBILITY which is more than I could say for these other debtors who act like so called "victims" which they're not.

As for those other CA's who were abusive to you, always make sure to document everything including keeping any phone messages in order to get protect your rights.

I don't condone anyone much less a bill collector being abusive on the phone. At least you're proof that when a debtor approaches their obligations the right way good things can be accomplished.

I have always said CA's are an unfortunate necessary evil in this world otherwise we would all pay more in the end as consumers.

This company has called me the last couple days, but I've been unable to take the call, so they've left vague voicemails about how "they need to make an important decision, " and they need me to call them back. Sounds like crap to me.

That would be fine, but they also called my parents AND my grandmother! I don't know how they got my grandma's phone number, but they tried to get her to divulge all sorts of my personal information. When she refused, they hung up on her.

I'm going to call them Monday and find out what they want, but right now I'm severely annoyed.

Mr Rojo:

I highly doubt a collection agency would be dumb enough to reveal your personal inoformation to ANYONE without your permission. That is 3rd party disclosure and it is aganst FDCPA policy.

I suggest you stop ignoring the phone calls and find out what you owe because in the end if it is something that "they need to make an important decision" on and you don't act on it then you'll only have yourself to blame.

As for calling your family members, it never ceases to amaze me how debtors will do business with a company dilvulging all sorts of personal information (emergency contact, references etc) then expect a collection agency not to have that at their disposal.

It is NOT illegal to contact friends and family unless you tell them verbally or in writing and they continue to do so AFTER the request has been made. Since you have yet to speak to them about whatever the issue is then you shouldn't be annoyed or even blame them for what they are doing.

Obviously the collection agency that is trying to contact you is leaving an important message with your relatives to call back because you continue to ignore their calls.

Get on the phone and find out the facts from them first then make your own decision as to what to do next.

The only reason I even found out who the company was was from googling the phone number and finding this complaint board. The voicemails they leave have nothing to do with debt collection. They don't even tell me the name of the company. "Hi, I'm David Hine, and I need you to make an important decision" doesn't tell me a damn thing about who they are or what they want. I assumed it was some spammy telemarketer or something. The only reason I started investigating it at all was because they started harassing my grandmother. I don't even know how they would have gotten her phone number without doing some serious research into my background. Now that I know that it's a debt collector, I will definitely get in contact with them and try to get whatever it is sorted out, but they could really be going about this in a much better way. They tried calling me one time and then immediately started harassing my family. I was at work when they called the first time, and the second time it was 8am on a Saturday. I was sleeping, and my phone was on silent. I'm sorry, but 8am is on the weekend is not an acceptable time for a business to be calling anyone.